20demayo Chapter 100 The Witch's Tea Party
Chapter 100 The Witch's Tea Party
Chapter 100 The Witch's Tea Party
There are now only seven swamp toads left on the plate that was serving the roasted meat, and the bowl that held the Ghost Forest Salad is also empty.
But the most popular dish remains the same as before: the magician's eyeball sashimi is sure to be snatched up as soon as the tea party begins.
The drinks served at the tea party are also plentiful and varied, offering a wide selection for you to choose from.
Milk tea made with masculine milk has a rich, sweet flavor and is popular with many people.
But witches who can tolerate the strong bitterness of cold-brewed mandrake often raise their chins an inch or two higher when chatting around a small tea table.
Natalie had no interest in trying strange and unusual foods, and besides, she wasn't a witch and had no interest in participating in the witches' social hierarchy and competition.
She simply took a small plate of cookies that didn't look too strange, and some green tea that looked and smelled perfectly normal.
I chose a small round table that was almost full and sat down.
The moment she placed the snacks and teacups on the table, she immediately drew sidelong glances from the witches present.
They all exhaled softly through their noses, which was undoubtedly a smile for Natalie.
However, Natalie didn't care at all.
The people at the table continued their previous conversation.
"So those who meet the saints deserve to die. Those die-hards are nothing but parasites of the times. They try to find and salvage failures that have long been tested by history, instead of adapting to the development of the times and exploring and researching ahead."
The speaker was a witch dressed in a brown robe, the soft hood gently covering her forehead.
Another witch, whose face was covered by a silk veil, immediately nodded in agreement:
"Yes, even in their own field, they are not exactly experts or authorities. Take the recent example, their operation failed again, and they brought a ghost ship into the world of the living."
The witch, whose face was covered in tattoos, immediately chimed in:
"The last recorded sighting of ghost ships was hundreds or thousands of years ago. The methods for dealing with these things have either been sealed away or lost, so no one knows how to deal with them now. Once night falls, ghost ships appear in the Weeping Gorge, so much so that no ship dares to sail in this area at night."
The brown-robed man reacted particularly strongly, even slamming his fist lightly on the table, causing the drinks in all the teacups to slosh around.
Natalie noticed that the other witches' eyes revealed a slight hint of dissatisfaction.
However, the woman in the brown robe seemed oblivious to this, and continued speaking to herself:
"That's why the five green-eyed people I ordered from Slave King Valen haven't been delivered to the nearby port yet. My experiment could have started much earlier."
“Speaking of slaves,” the veiled woman continued, “the value of green-eyed people has more than doubled recently, causing research and development expenses to skyrocket. I’m almost bankrupt.”
The tattooed woman immediately explained the reason: "This isn't the first time materials from the Frozen Continent have gone up in price, and the reason is always the same: those despicable pirates."
Silk Veil nodded repeatedly: "Yes, the climate of the frozen continent is extreme and resources are scarce. Even the slightest disturbance from the outside world can cause strong winds to rise in this frozen land. The tremors caused by pirates are undoubtedly the most numerous, and each one has a significant impact."
"This time, it was also because the pirates occupied Goddess Island that the nobles and those in power became very nervous and strengthened their control over the sea."
The tattooed woman continued,
"This not only restricted the pirates' voyages, but also affected smugglers and slave traders, which led to increased transportation costs, and the price of Green-Eyed People naturally rose as a result."
The woman in the brown robe cursed viciously with her full, purple lips:
May all pirates be forever imprisoned in a frost-covered hell.
The other two witches nodded in agreement.
At this moment, they suddenly turned their gaze to Natalie, clearly wanting her to express her opinion as well.
Seeing this, Natalie brought the teacup to her lips, took a small sip, and then answered slowly and deliberately:
"I don't dislike pirates."
Upon hearing this, she immediately sensed the hostility and exclusionary atmosphere at the tea table.
Natalie had to explain a few more points:
"After all, I once slept with a pirate."
This answer clearly caught the witches off guard. They exchanged glances but said nothing.
But the emotion in his eyes had completely changed, and he seemed to be very interested in what Natalie was talking about.
"It must have been a terrible experience."
After a moment, the silk veil said confidently.
The man in the brown robe immediately nodded: "Men among pirates are bound to be extremely rude."
"And their skills are mostly mediocre," the tattooed woman agreed.
"Maybe."
Natalie shrugged.
"But the pirate I encountered was anything but rude. He treated me like a cracked egg, afraid of breaking the shell with even the slightest bit of force. As for technique, I don't know what's good or bad, but if I had the chance, I'd like to have another go with that pirate—no, ten thousand times."
After hearing Natalie's description, the witches clearly did not believe her; their eyes revealed that they thought Natalie was exaggerating.
However, Natalie didn't care; she didn't need anyone to believe her.
"Ding-a-ling~"
Suddenly, a clear and melodious wind chime sounded into everyone's ears, and the originally noisy tea party hall instantly fell silent.
This means that the organizers and investors of this tea party are about to appear.
The Witches' Tea Party is not an organization, but a public event that welcomes any witch.
This activity, or rather custom, has been passed down for thousands of years and is not unusual for the inhabitants of the frozen continent.
A witch's tea party can be hosted by any witch.
In addition to preparing a venue for the tea party and tea and snacks, the organizers need to prepare a valuable and attractive topic.
Only in this way can we attract enough capable witches to participate.
Once the number of attendees reaches the organizer's expectations, the host will appear and preside over the tea party.
They released the clues they had and organized a tea party to discuss a certain collaboration.
Of course, whether or not to participate is up to each witch, and they can also discuss the profit sharing with the organizers.
If a witch is very interested in a particular topic, she might even take the initiative to promote the tea party and invite people to attend in order to avoid a situation where there are not enough people or the host is unwilling to disclose information.
Therefore, as long as the topic of the tea party is excellent enough, there is never any need to worry about insufficient attendance.
The fact that the tea hall was packed early on was enough to show that the topic of this event was undoubtedly highly anticipated.
No one here came specifically for a cup of tea or a few words of casual conversation.
That's why all the witches present stopped everything else the moment the wind chimes rang, and quietly waited for the main course to arrive.
Soon, under everyone's watchful eyes, a woman wearing a halter-neck dress with long tassels walked into the hall from under the wind chimes and came to the center of the venue.
She looked around and then went straight to the point:
"To stay young forever."
The hall was completely silent; everyone turned and stared intently at the woman.
Natalie, however, did not turn her head. Instead, she pulled the hood of her robe over her head and raised the collar.
He glanced at the host out of the corner of his eye.
Soon, someone couldn't wait to ask:
"How can this be achieved?"
The woman calmly replied, "I think you have all heard that the tears of mermaids can grant immortality."
These words immediately drew a burst of laughter from the audience.
A questioning voice immediately echoed in the hall: "You didn't gather us all here just because of this rumor, did you?"
"That's why," the woman nodded, "and it's not just a rumor."
"Outrageous! There are children's bedtime stories about mermaids all over the world!"
Natalie heard a loud roar coming from not far behind her.
"And you want us to believe it, even to take any action? Do you think everyone has nothing better to do?!"
However, the woman remained calm and composed, replying slowly and deliberately:
"Fairy tales are a mix of truth and fiction, and there are countless rumors about mermaids, many of which are difficult to verify. I'm not here to tell you a bedtime story. I think many of you have read about mermaids in ancient texts. The tears of these creatures have exceptionally powerful and magical effects."
These words silenced the hall for a moment, but doubts soon arose again:
"Even if there are records, so what? The rumors of mermaids appearing haven't surfaced for a long time. Maybe these creatures are already extinct. Are you planning to mobilize us to search the whole world for those fairytale creatures?"
The woman smiled calmly: "In fact, according to all the records, mermaids are marine creatures, so there's no need to search the whole world; just look in the sea."
"you--"
"But that would be too broad a search area, since many scholars believe the ocean may be even more vast than the starry sky. However, I do have a lead on mermaids."
The mention of the word "mermaid" made the atmosphere at the tea party very tense. After all, who hasn't heard of fairy tales or stories about mermaids?
It's understandable that the witches would feel like they've been tricked.
The atmosphere changed immediately after the host woman revealed that she had clear clues.
As long as there are clues to be found and hope can be seen, it doesn't matter how mysterious or unpredictable what one is pursuing is.
After a brief silence, someone immediately pressed for an answer:
"What clue?"
The Way of Women:
"I think that no matter the era, there must have been many people who have searched for the existence of mermaids, but almost no one has made any progress. If you think about it for a little while, you will know why. Mermaids are creatures that live in the sea. Even if they leave clues about their colonies, they must be in the seabed, so very few people can find them."
"Isn't that obvious? Humans need to breathe air and can't normally move underwater. Even if we could solve this problem through some kind of supernatural power, it wouldn't be something that can be found overnight. If we can't persevere, we'll never achieve anything."
"You're absolutely right," the woman smiled and took two steps toward the man who had spoken. "And there really are idiots like that in the world, quite a few, folks—have you ever heard of Diving Lodge?"
"Of course, their obsession with the ocean is terrifyingly outrageous, and the organization's headquarters isn't too far from where this tea party is being held."
"That's it."
The woman nodded and said,
"This group's ideology is even more extreme and radical than some cults, but the advantage lies in its inward focus, which does not harm others, thus allowing them to conduct their exploration and research openly and legitimately."
They believed that the ocean was the source of everything, and that all life originated from it, so there must be a primordial mother of life in the ocean.
"And they believe that as long as they can find and make contact with the Primordial Mother, they can unlock all the secrets of life, including things about heaven, hell, souls, supernatural powers, and everything else that has not yet been fully deciphered and proven."
"So they explore the deep sea day and night to achieve their shared ideal. And I've heard that they recently seem to have discovered traces of mermaids."
If an individual suddenly claims that they have found a mermaid.
That's probably just self-promotion or attention-seeking; it's not worth taking seriously at all.
But if it's that diving hut, it's a completely different story.
This group of people are focused and low-key, living a life almost entirely isolated from the world for the sake of their inner beliefs.
They ventured deep into the ocean day and night, meticulously exploring every clue they could find.
If someone in this world could actually find mermaids, they would undoubtedly be the top choice in most people's minds.
Therefore, the host's words undoubtedly won the approval of many witches.
Soon someone asked, "So what do you want us to do?"
Upon hearing this, the woman's face showed a great deal of disgust:
"Those people clearly obtained clues about the mermaid, but they completely ignored them, discarding them without a second thought, and continued to explore their vague and unrealistic ideals and goals. Therefore, they are not worthy of possessing this information; instead, they should hand it over to us."
"So what do you plan to do? Talk to them? Or are you going to forcibly take it?"
"Living on a permafrost continent, yet still hoping for a life free from conflict, one is bound to encounter the harsh realities of life. I don't mind playing the role of that teacher. Of course, as a woman, my inner reserve makes me more inclined to try diplomacy first, then resort to force."
The hostess had a beautiful smile that could probably charm many men, but Natalie felt that smile was even colder and more ruthless than this frozen ground.
"However, the people at the Diving Lodge are not pushovers, and cannot be dealt with by just one or two wizards. That is why I am holding this tea party, hoping to cooperate with you all to find the mermaid's whereabouts."
At this point, the host had finally clearly explained the theme of this tea party.
If someone is not interested or does not want to participate, they can simply drink the remaining tea in their cup and leave early without anyone stopping them.
However, it is unclear whether the allure of "eternal youth" is too great, or for some other reason.
Up to this point, no one has indicated any intention to leave early.
The woman chuckled contentedly, then said:
"In that case, let's work together to develop an action plan and discuss how to divide the spoils—"
Once everything was discussed and people began to leave, the tea party was officially over.
Natalie, too, chose to quietly leave with the others.
The details of the witch's tea party were known only to the host.
The clues she provided contained absolutely nothing that could be associated with "mermaids".
Natalie's arrival on the frozen continent and all her actions there were for one purpose: to get involved in matters related to mermaids.
The problem is, this is Natalie's first time infiltrating a witch's tea party, yet her purpose happens to coincide with the theme of the party, which is too much of a coincidence.
Even Natalie herself wouldn't dare to hope for such good fortune.
The truth is, this tea party was only able to take place because Natalie was behind it all.
Since the last time I witnessed the people of the Holy Meeting summon the ghost ship.
This made her realize that there might be something else incredible on the seabed.
Perhaps this will help her find the mermaid.
Therefore, she began to pursue clues related to the "seabed".
Before long, Natalie learned of the existence of the diving hut and tried to make contact with it.
During this process, she also learned that the diving hut seemed to have collected clues directly related to mermaids.
However, this place was even more exclusive than Natalie had imagined, and the price they offered her for that lead was completely unacceptable to her.
But Natalie couldn't possibly remain unmoved when the clues were right in front of her.
So Natalie decided to use other people to achieve her goals.
However, Natalie was all alone; her only bargaining chip was the intelligence she possessed.
After much deliberation, Natalie felt that only by taking advantage of the witches' gathering could she possibly achieve her goal.
Later, Natalie found a wealthy witch nearby who had severe age anxiety, making her a perfect target for Natalie's use.
Natalie immediately devised a plan and proactively leaked the information to the witch.
It also implies that if this person does not take advantage of the witch's tea party, he will have no chance to obtain clues about the mermaid.
And this woman's current actions are exactly as Natalie predicted.
After that, Natalie simply needed to continue with her plans as usual.
On the day of the action agreed upon at the last witch's tea party, Natalie made a brief stop at the diving hut.
This is a coastline located in the southeast of the frozen continent, with a simple wooden hut built on the shore.
Although the log cabin looks ordinary and is indeed just a regular house, it is the base of the diving cabin.
The hideout of that group of sea divers.
Natalie went to the door and knocked.
After a short while, the wooden door was opened a crack.
A pair of round, gray-white eyes were slowly scrutinizing Natalie through the crack in the door.
Natalie took a deep breath and then said:
"I'm here to join you."
The person behind the door stood there stunned for a moment before opening the door and letting Natalie in.
She looked inside and saw that the small room was crammed with twenty or thirty members of the diving hut.
Even though it wasn't the first time she'd seen them, Natalie still felt incredibly uncomfortable when she saw their figures.
The group of people looked almost identical; at least Natalie had a hard time distinguishing the differences between them.
Their skin was so smooth that it was almost reflective.
And regardless of gender, all body hair has fallen out.
Their eyes were large and bulging, as if their eyelids had completely degenerated; Natalie never saw them blink.
Its neck is thick, almost as wide as its head.
Once someone turns their head, Natalie can also see the closed gill openings under their cheeks.
"when!"
A sudden noise startled Natalie.
She quickly turned her head and saw a person whose gender was indiscernible accidentally drop a ceramic jar on the ground.
The person had webbed fingers, which reduced their grip strength and made it difficult to hold things.
"You...join...this side?"
Just as Natalie was distracted by the noise, the sea diver in front of her spoke to her in murky, icy language.
That sound was like someone speaking with their mouth full of liquid.
Natalie nodded, and the other person awkwardly bent over with a blank expression.
She guessed that the person's neck was so thick that it couldn't turn, so he bowed to represent nodding.
Immediately afterwards, several members got to work.
Not long after, a member, with his webbed hands, presented Natalie with a clay pot.
Inside the earthenware jar was a pool of viscous, bubbling black liquid.
A pungent, foul odor wafted from the can towards Natalie's nose, and she almost vomited.
The other party then said, "Drink it—you—are us." Natalie noticed their wording: "we" instead of "join us."
Of course, she was very clear about what those words meant.
The fact that Natalie drank this unknown liquid indeed meant that she had successfully joined this group, and it also meant that Natalie had become "them".
Natalie's appearance and figure will gradually change.
Within two months, its eyes gradually bulged out, all its hair fell out, webbed toes grew between its toes, and gills grew on the back of its cheeks.
Until she becomes exactly like the group of people in the house who make Natalie feel utterly disgusted.
Even that unforgettable pirate, Natalie thought, would surely despise me now that I look like this.
The group had already offered Natalie this opportunity the last time they visited the cabin.
However, Natalie resolutely refused.
This time, Natalie still didn't intend to actually drink the unknown liquid.
Natalie asked, "If I join you, will I really be able to get that information about the mermaid?"
The member said: "We are inseparable—you and me—"
“I don’t need any promises,” Natalie said. “At least let me know that this information is real.”
"Foolishness—but—it doesn't matter—"
Then, the members on the other side immediately began to take action.
Soon, they pulled a notebook out of the box.
The sea diver in front of Natalie continued, "Research—Record—. No errors—"
Natalie reached out to take the notebook and glanced at it.
The member immediately pulled his hand back, and the notebook, which he hadn't been holding properly, fell to the ground.
He stiffly picked up the items and placed them on the desk to the side:
"You are us—and thus—you can read—"
The liquid moved a few inches closer, almost making Natalie faint from the stench.
Natalie held her breath and mentally estimated that the witches should be arriving soon.
"Knock knock knock!"
Just as Natalie was thinking this, there was a knock on the door.
At the same time, all the members' eyes turned to the only exit.
They stood there silently, stunned. In fact, Natalie never heard them exchange any words.
However, they were able to assist each other with perfect accuracy in accomplishing a task, something Natalie couldn't understand at all.
For example, right now, the diver closest to the door has already stepped forward and opened the door a crack without being notified by anyone.
Natalie vaguely heard a woman's voice coming from the crack in the door, but unfortunately she couldn't make out what it said.
The door closed, and the airflow caused the candle flames to vibrate rapidly. Natalie saw the shadows of everyone swaying wildly on the wall.
After a brief silence, the five members suddenly moved, went to the door, walked straight out of the small house, and closed the door behind them.
The cabin was eerily quiet afterwards, but compared to drinking the liquid, Natalie felt that the current situation seemed pretty good.
Natalie knew that her plan was proceeding smoothly, and all she had to do was wait and see how things unfolded.
After enduring this eerie atmosphere for a long time, things finally took a turn for the better.
Natalie didn't know what was happening, but she saw all the sea divers in the room start moving at the same time.
They all headed towards the door, grabbing anything they could use as a weapon.
Soon, all the members of the cabin left, leaving only Natalie standing in the center of the cabin.
Although Natalie was somewhat bewildered by the current situation, she knew that the witches who had attended the witches' tea party last time must now be involved in a violent conflict with the members of the diving hut.
The unusual sounds, whether muffled or sharp, that come to your ears are the best proof.
Natalie, on the other hand, must make the most of this precious time and do as much as possible.
She fixed her gaze on the desk in front of her. If the sea divers weren't lying, this notebook should contain what Natalie was looking for.
Natalie quickly grabbed the notebook and began to skim through it.
The text above is crooked and distorted, just like what a child who has just started practicing writing would write.
However, Natalie could imagine the reason.
The people in this room are clumsy because of the webbing between their fingers.
They cannot hold a quill pen normally; they can only write by clenching their fists.
The text written in this posture is bound to be unattractive.
Natalie quickly searched for the part she wanted from the icy language she could barely decipher.
Finally, she found the three words "mermaid" in Bingyu's words.
This record is not long, taking up just one page.
Without any hesitation, Natalie tore the page from the notebook, folded it, and stuffed it into her bosom before quickly walking toward the wooden door.
She quietly opened the door a crack and peered outside.
Just as she expected, the two groups became fast friends.
There were more than twenty sea divers, but nearly forty witches.
Furthermore, the witches used a wide variety of supernatural powers, leaving the sea divers completely suppressed.
This is exactly what Natalie predicted.
She had heard long ago that these sea divers possessed immense power.
But only in the sea can their full potential be realized.
Even so, for Natalie, who is basically no different from an ordinary person, she is an insurmountable opponent.
Therefore, Natalie must rely on the help of others to get rid of the group of sea divers.
These witches are the targets Natalie is using, and no one should have realized that Natalie is the real mastermind behind it all.
Even the host of that witch's tea party, she probably still believes that the content and plan of the tea party were all her own ideas from beginning to end.
After all, Natalie would never have chosen a woman who was too intelligent as her target.
Of course, assuming Natalie hadn't chosen to venture alone and stage this charade with the people at the sea hut, but instead joined the tea party participants in attacking the hut, she probably would have obtained this information as well.
However, this information will also be known to the other witches, which is not what Natalie wants.
Therefore, they pretended to join the diving hut in order to enter the hut in advance and narrow down the scope of intelligence gathering.
Natalie dared to make this plan because she already knew some of the members of the diving hut.
To outsiders, the members of this cabin are eccentric individuals who live apart from the world, and in reality, they are just that.
Outsiders ostracize the people in this small house, and the small house is equally exclusive to outsiders.
Therefore, very few people truly understand them.
What clues and intelligence they possess, outsiders naturally have no way of knowing.
In other words, Natalie, because of the ghost ship incident, thought that there might be clues in the seabed, so she personally investigated this secluded cabin and learned that they had information about mermaids.
Otherwise, this message will remain forever in the hearts of these people.
It was also through this initial encounter that Natalie learned that although this group was xenophobic, they were not particularly aggressive. They were willing to communicate, but they were unwilling to give away even half a slice of bread for free.
Their actions were terrifyingly consistent, as if they shared the same consciousness.
Or perhaps there exists a more powerful consciousness that is unifying and directing them.
However, the decision to take action seemed very simple and direct. Based on this discovery, Natalie realized that once a sufficient crisis arose, they would come out in full force.
Natalie also used this to formulate a comprehensive plan.
And so far, Natalie's plan has been largely without major flaws.
She dared not linger any longer, and immediately left the hut, quietly slipping away in the opposite direction of the battlefield.
In this way, Natalie obtained the information she wanted without having to share it with others.
This achieved the perfect result for Natalie.
After safely arriving in a nearby town, Natalie took out the intelligence report and studied it carefully.
The content above filled Natalie with ecstasy.
The clues record the specific coordinates where mermaids may exist!
Without lingering, Natalie immediately headed to the port, preparing to board a ship to the location indicated by the clues.
She had no choice but to leave the area quickly.
Sooner or later, someone will discover that someone took away the clues about the mermaid beforehand.
Someone at the tea party must remember Natalie's appearance. By simply comparing the list of people who attended the tea party with the list of people who participated in today's operation, it will be discovered that Natalie is the intelligence thief.
Once Natalie is targeted by those people, staying in the vicinity will likely lead to a very dangerous situation for her.
Upon reaching the dock, Natalie inquired about the sailing directions of various ships, hoping to find a trading vessel whose target port was close to or along the route of the clues.
It took Natalie a while to find a boat that met her requirements.
Moreover, it is getting late, and because of the ghost ship, no ship dares to set sail in the Weeping Gorge at night.
If we don't set sail now, we won't be able to leave today.
Therefore, Natalie found out the captain's location and wanted to bribe him to set sail immediately.
When they found the other person, he was chatting with the captain of another ship whose destination was a port in the Kingdom of Giants.
After accepting the money, the captain said he would finish the last topic of conversation and then return to the ship to prepare for departure.
Another captain said, "Ghost ships are a strange occurrence in the Sea of Weeping Gorge, but recently a major event has also happened in the Kingdom of Giants."
"Oh? Even stranger than a ghost ship?"
"It's hard to say, but it's extremely rare," the man said, "and it's related to monsters."
"Monsters are everywhere, and since the discovery of the New World, monster-related incidents have occurred frequently in various places."
"But this time is different," the captain said solemnly. "This incident was caused by the demon."
"A demon? What's going on?"
"Someone used the demon's corrupted power to summon something even more evil, and that bizarre thing devoured the entire castle and all living things around it!"
"Is that so? Hmm, that's certainly unusual. I've learned something new. But I know a few castles in the Kingdom of Giants. Which one was swallowed up this time?"
"Well—that one, I remember it—it's a castle on the plateau, and in the center of this region, it's called—"
"Goringburg!" Natalie blurted out.
"right!"
The captain slapped his forehead, smiled, and looked at Natalie.
"Well done, young lady, you've got some knowledge!"
Natalie's face instantly turned even paler than the frozen ground.
Natalie has a son.
Her son was taken away by a knight named Pegasus Burne.
There is no doubt that Byrne will make Cathy a duke.
The key question is, where has he gotten to now?
Has Casey returned to Goringburg?
Was Kathy in Goringburg at the time of the incident?
Will Bourne be able to protect Cathy?
Lord! Natalie prays upwards, please keep Cathy safe and sound!
She was separated from her son shortly after giving birth to Cathy.
But for more than a decade, she has never stopped missing her son.
Natalie loves Cathy.
"Well then, young lady,"
The captain, who had just been bribed by Natalie, suddenly spoke up.
"Let's get going without delay."
However, Natalie stared blankly at the two captains in front of her, unable to take a step.
"Miss?"
The two captains ahead are heading to different places.
One leads to the coordinates of the clue, the other to the port of the kingdom.
Natalie recalled that she had forced Bourne to choose between two options more than once.
"What karma," Natalie quipped, "now it's my turn."
On one side is the dream she has pursued for many years, and on the other side is her beloved, long-lost son.
dream.
son.
She can only choose one—